(( Professor of Mythology, Gryffindor Head of House ))
spaceAmata Harlowe's office is a circular room, bathed in the soft purple and golden glow. The light emenates from the center of several large tiger and stargazer lillies, which float about the room's ceiling. There are various tapestries decorating the walls, each depicting various scenes from both wizard and muggle mythology, all in a monochromatic sepia tone with purple accents. There is a low circular table in the center of the room which serves as Amata's desk. It is surrounded by several large purple satin pillows, which serves as seats for Amata and any students or professors who come to see her. Around the edges of the room are stacks and stacks of books on mythology, as well as stacks of parchment with Amata's scribbled notes on them. The room looks very messy and disorganized, but there is a note on the door outside specifically requesting that people who enter not touch anything unless explicitly asked by Professor Harlowe so that she doesn't lose anything. In reality, she knows exactly where each and every piece of paper with whatever tidbit of information is located. When Professor Harlowe is not in her office, she can often be found either outside under her favorite tree by the lake, reading a book, or in the Great Hall eating. Next to the door is a small mailbox that students may leave their homework assignments in, for Amata to collect at her discretion.
xx×xxOFFICE HOURSxx×xx Mondays 9:00 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesdays 9:00 AM - 11:45 AM 1:00 PM - 3:00 pm Fridays 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
xx×xxTEACHING SCHEDULExx×xx Monday ::Muggle Mythology I, Block 1 - Mythology III, Block 6 Tuesday ::Muggle Mythology II, Block 1 Wednesday ::Muggle Mythology IV, Block 1 - Mythology V, Block 3 - Muggle Mythology III, Block 5 Thursday ::Mythology II, Block 1 - Muggle Mythology V, Block 6 - Mythology I, Block 7 Friday ::Mythology IV, Block 3
xxxxxxNOTICE FOR ROLEPLAYERSxxxxxx
To turn in your homework, use the form below the spoiler. You don't have to post your student dropping it off, just post the assignment. Please do not remove the quote, as doing so may result in the assignment going unnoticed, and your character not receiving credit.
[quote="Cara MiaKitty"][align=center][b]Student Name[/b] [b]Student Year and House[/b] [b]Assignment #[/b][/align]
Write your essay here.[/quote]
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:29 pm
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//No one CURRENTLY FEELING//Pleased CURRENTLY THINKING//'I hope my second lesson goes as swimmingly as the first.' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata sat in her office, going over her notes for the next lesson, humming happily to herself. Her first lesson had gone rather well, she though, and she was quite pleased, despite only having one student. Tristain seemed bright and eager to learn, and seemed to hold a passion inside her, though the stoic Ravenclaw had it buried deep. Amata could certainly see the child getting rather heated under the proper circumstances. And, Tristain was a half-blood, like herself, so the two seemed to hold similar views on relations between muggles and wizarding folk. Which was good; Amata couldn't help but feel like her personal views were probably the most grounded; after all, who could say more for either side than someone who was raised on both? Being a half-blood had its perks, not the least of which was seeing exactly how green the grass did grow on the other side. Amata was perfectly pleased to say that the grass was green on both sides, thank you very much, and it all depended on your perspective as exactly how green that was. Amata liked to think that it was very green indeed. She smiled again, focusing on her notes. The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Her favorite, no surprise there. She'd only been told the story from the time she was born, was only named after one of it's characters. She looked forward to this lesson; it would be a good gauge of exactly how much she and Miss Raines would get along. Despite only having one student, she had high hopes for the remainder of the year.
Shina poked her head into the professor's office on the way to another of her classes. "Oh, here you go, professor! See you next class!" she chirped cheerfully as she handed over the parchment. "I have to get to my next period, please excuse me!" she said as she left as quickly as she had come.
Shina
Beedle the Bard
In many ways, Beedle the Bard appears to have been ahead of his time. Recurring themes in his writings include tolerance, compassion, self-sufficiency, helping others, and the importance of community. His works also repeatedly downplay the importance of magic, casting it as a tool, a plot device, or simply part of the story, but not the solution to the problem. Rather, the human element is repeatedly shown to be more important than any spell or artifact.
When one considers how Beedle portrays magic as a tool rather than a defining feature, it makes sense that his stories encourage focus on individuals, rather than their magical prowess. One would be quite surprised to find a hidden community of say, blacksmiths, convinced that their ability to make a wide variety of tools makes them a separate class of people who should not interact with those outside their circle.
I think that this view may be part of why Beedle's views are so modern in regards to wizards and their interactions with muggles. In Beedle's time, the separate magical community had not been formed as it is today, as a separate community that interacts only peripherally if at all with the remainder of the world, and has been so insular for many generations. So wizards of Beedle's time would find it necessary to interact, at least to some degree, with muggles. Considering the value Beedle seemed to place on community, it makes sense that he would encourage interacting with muggles and considering them equals, though with different skills than a wizard might possess. One might actually consider his treatment of women as intelligent, independent beings in his stories to be far more radical, considering the times. I believe that this particular bit of potential controversy may have been largely ignored in the outrage against the more radical message of tolerance for muggles.
There was, admittedly, reason to fear muggles in Beedle's time. Children, the likely recipients of such tales as he wrote, would have been the most vulnerable of the magical community. If children were not taught to hide their magic, they risked getting caught up in the fearful mobs of the times, and could have been killed. So there was logical sense to objecting to children being taught to not think of muggles as dangerous and other. Additionally, the lack of importance placed on magic may have served to lessen the mystique of magic, making children less eager to devote long study to a skill they might see as just one of many they could learn.
It is impossible to know the exact opinions and thoughts of Beedle, or his peers, except through what they have chosen to share. Without being able to ask questions and find answers, some things will always remain a mystery. Through study of what does remain, however, we can gain a better understanding of our past.
How did we get here? When I used to know you so well?
Marina Eugenie Aldred, Proud Halfblood, Slytherin Second Year Wearing Mood: Slightly nervous Thoughts: This is the place... With: Damien Location: Professor Harlowe's Office
Marina stepped silently into the office and did a double take. That was a whole lots of books and parchment. Clearly, a fellow book lover. She gave a nod of approval and turned to Damien. "This is the place," she muttered, tearing her eyes away from a tapestry depicting Zeus killing Kronos. "Professor Harlowe?" she called out, only a little nervous. The professor had seemed nice enough. Hopefully she could help them. The girl took a step forward, further into the office, wary of knocking over any books. She was controlling the urge to start reading. She'd read the note about not touching anything, and settled for looking around with interest.
Damien Edgeworth Slytherin//Second Year//Prof. Harlowe's Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Nervous CURRENTLY THINKING//'Oh, I'm not sure I want to do this...' ═════════════════════════════════
Damien followed Marina in, his eyes darting along the corridor to be sure no one had followed them. He might be a bit paranoid, he knew, but he had no interest in anyone knowing where he was or what he was doing. He didn't need pity, and besides that, he was sure that most any student who found out what was wrong with him would use it against him, to mock him or scorn him. He wasn't exactly a popular guy. He could only imagine if Michelle found out... he was still waiting for her to exact her revenge. He was almost certain that she was going to try to turn him into her personal slave. She'd implied as much. He shook his head, turning to the Office. He was nervous. He didn't know if the professor could help. It'd been a nice thought in the library, with the books seemingly failing at offering any help, but... he wasn't so sure that it was a good idea in retrospect. He didn't know much about this professor. Certainly not enough to trust her. But, they were here now, and there was nothing to be done about it.
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(( OOC: )) ...
Schedule: Tran, DADA, Ast, Herb, Char, Pot, HoM
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:34 pm
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//My Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Damien and Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Concerned CURRENTLY THINKING//'Oh, I do hope everything is alright...' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata looked up from her note taking to see two very familiar faces. Marina and Damien, the two Slytherin's who'd been the victims of Regret's attack when he'd snapped. She frowned, her expression growing worried."Come in, come in. Have a seat. How are you both? Is... is something the matter?"She gestured to two of the purple satin pillows on the floor in front of her low desk. As she waited, she attempted to straighten her desk a bit, placing her parchment in a stack to the side and closing her books to set them on the floor next to her. She was horribly worried about this. Seeing the two of them... and they both looked so uncertain. Something was the matter. She just hoped it wasn't too horrible. That it was just a small thing, that they had questions about what had happened or something of that nature. She didn't know if she could help with anything else.
How did we get here? When I used to know you so well?
Marina Eugenie Aldred, Proud Halfblood, Slytherin Second Year Wearing Mood: Slightly nervous Thoughts: OK...Here we go... With: Damien and Professor Harlowe Location: Professor Harlowe's Office
Marina sat down as instructed, tucking her legs beneath her as she sat down on one of the cushion. She hadn't really seen Professor Harlowe up close since the previous year. And then she had been in a pretty bad state, mentally anyway. The Slytherin attempted a smile and glanced at Damien. He seemed very nervous. Maybe she should start. "Well, we've been both having some separate...issues. We were thinking that you might be able to help us." There was really no easy way to say it. Her nails dug into her palms as she continued, forcing herself to stare straight ahead and not look at anything in particular, just speak. "I've been having nightmares since what happened and they've gotten much more frequent and intense since I returned to school. I'm really not sure what to do. Potions haven't worked, and the library was no help." Marina glanced at Damien again, and focused her eyes on the floorboard, tracing the patterns in the wood with a finger. It was better than having to look at the professor's face and see her reaction. This was so embarrassing. Worse than telling Damien, because at least he sort of understood, and she knew him. Sort of.
"Endurance is nobler than strength and has more patience than beauty."
How did we get here? Well I think I know...
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:03 pm
Damien Edgeworth Slytherin//Second Year//Prof. Harlowe's Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Nervous CURRENTLY THINKING//'Oh, I'm not sure I want to do this...' ═════════════════════════════════
Damien looked down as Marina began detailing the problem. Rather selfishly, he'd hoped that she might describe his problem as well as her own, but of course, it wasn't her place. She shouldn't have to talk about what was wrong with him. After all, it was hard enough talking about what was bothering her. When she finished, he met her gaze, and then, when she looked down, he looked up at the professor, remembering what their new Transfiguration instructor had told him. Show some pride. He'd suffered a trauma, after all, it was normal to have a problem after. It was common. So common, in fact, he thought that muggles might even have a word for it. Or a term. Or something. That seemed right to him. He didn't know, of course. It was hard to be sure, seeing as he didn't know really anything about muggles. He shook his head a little and met the professor's eyes."I've been having an issue with... I don't really know what to call it. It's like I"m spacing out, but instead of daydreaming, my brain just... turns off. Not like when you go to sleep, because I don't dream... or think, or really anything. It's like I just... freeze. Like when I was in the hospital wing. I got better over break, but since I've come back to school, I've gotten worse again. It's happening almost every day."His voice shook a little as he spoke, and had to force himself to say the worse. Show some pride, he thought. He had to tell her this. He had to get some kind of help. Unlike Marina, he kept his eyes up, level with the professor.
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//My Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Damien and Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Concerned CURRENTLY THINKING//'Oh, I do hope everything is alright...' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata listened to the two children carefully, her frown deepening, her eyes growing more and more concerned. This was rather serious. It sounded like they had a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, and it was manifesting as nightmares and... whatever was happening to Damien. It wasn't unlikely. They'd suffered something awful, far more than their young minds could handle. She sighed a little, leaning forward and resting her face in her hands."That sounds like it could pose quite a problem. I imagine you've been missing classes, Damien? And Marina, you must be exhausted. I... Hm. Why did the two of you come to me instead of the nurse? This is hardly my area of expertise..."She didn't understand why they would think to come to her. She wasn't a shoddy witch by any means, but her subject was a lecture lesson, not wandwork and spells. Not even potions. But then, Marina had said potion's hadn't worked. So perhaps they were expecting a more unusual solution? She tapped her chin."I don't suppose the hospital wing seems very... hospitable. I imagine you've seen as much of it as you care to. And the nurses are quite likely to simply try and give you potions and things, which apparently hasn't helped. I... I'll have to think. There must be something I can do."Even after all this time, she still felt a little responsible. If she'd seen Regret, really seen him, she might have known, might have been able to prevent it somehow.
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(( OOC: )) ...
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:33 pm
How did we get here? When I used to know you so well?
Marina Eugenie Aldred, Proud Halfblood, Slytherin Second Year Wearing Mood: Hopeful Thoughts: Maybe she can help... With: Damien and Professor Harlowe Location: Professor Harlowe's Office
Marina looked up as Professor Harlowe spoke, trying to maintain some semblance of confidence. Her expression grew slightly more hopeful, and she shook her head fervently to the mention of hospital wing. No. She'd rather wake up screaming every night then be back there, where she felt so caged and weak. And it didn't look like Professor Harlowe was going to notify their parents, which was good. If her mother and father knew... It would be beyond mortifying. They were already overprotective enough, she being an only child and all. Honestly, sometimes they still treated her like a little girl, when she was a witch! A witch who would not go crying to Mummy and Daddy for help, if she wanted any respect at all from her housemates. Not that she got much anyway. If this got out somehow, Marina was certain it would be her demise. In social standing, anyway. Nobody would want to be her friend. She was not repeating her experience in muggle school. That had been too horrid to go through again. "Thank you, Professor." the redhead said truthfully, feeling a bit relieved to have told someone who seemed to know what to do.
"Endurance is nobler than strength and has more patience than beauty."
Damien Edgeworth Slytherin//Second Year//Prof. Harlowe's Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Nervous CURRENTLY THINKING//'Unusual? I'll take anything...' ═════════════════════════════════
Damien listened carefully as she went on. No, he didn't want to go to the hospital wing. He never wanted to see the hospital wing again. He hated it in there. There was nothing even remotely pleasant about the place. The only thing worse than being trapped in there would be having to go home and stay in his room all day, every day... he shuddered a little."Professor, I will do anything to avoid having to go back there."He knew that she likely thought he meant the hospital wing, and he did, but he was somewhat thankful that the undercurrent would go over her head. Part of him hoped that it might go over Marina's as well, but it was an old habit. He knew that it didn't really matter if she caught it; after all, he'd told her how horrible things were at home.
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(( OOC: )) ...
Schedule: Tran, DADA, Ast, Herb, Char, Pot, HoM
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:57 pm
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//My Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Damien and Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Concerned CURRENTLY THINKING//'What could be done... hm...' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata nodded at the two children, leaning back in her chair and placing her hands at her temples to think. She couldn't think for the life of her. There was something... something glaringly obvious."It seems... it seems that, perhaps, you are both having problems with what happened, having trouble coping... so, perhaps, you need to reflect on it? To go back and really think about what happened..."Suddenly, it hit her. They needed to learn to cope with what had happened. So, they needed to be able to go back, to look at it. To really watch."A pensive..."she murmured thoughtfully, and shook her head."You need a pensive! It's a magical... object, you can remove your memories from your mind and place them in it, and then use it to view them as an outsider. To look at the things you've experienced and see them as they really happened. People use them to see where they've made mistakes so they don't make them again, or, more importantly in this situation, they use them to see the choices they made, and how they were the best they could do in the situation. You could watch... it sounds horrible, but you need to see what happened, to be able to distance yourself from it. And so you can see that there was nothing you could have done..."She paused, smiling sadly."There really wasn't, you know. You were first years; all you'd learned in the way of defensive magic was how to give someone a cold. And the spell Re- Professor Owens, used, was a very powerful one. Even an upperclassmen would have had trouble defending against it. You did the right thing by running."She wished she could have been there sooner, to save them, but she knew that it was only chance that brought her there in the first place. Her walk that night had been completely by chance. Her hearing them had been by chance. It was a miracle that she'd been there to save them at all.
How did we get here? When I used to know you so well?
Marina Eugenie Aldred, Proud Halfblood, Slytherin Second Year Wearing Mood: Excited Thoughts: That will help?! With: Damien and Professor Harlowe Location: Professor Harlowe's Office
Marina sat up rigid, eyes wide. "I've read about those!" she exclaimed. A pensive.... Why hadn't she thought of it? Probably because you're a sleep deprived, overwhelmed, traumatized, twelve year old, her snarky inner self replied. She was actually excited. If this could help.... It would be the best thing that had ever happened to her. But where would they find a pensive? And she was just a tad scared about seeing what had happened again. OK, she was really scared. Yet excited at the same time. Sort of the way one feels when they're about to do something like sky dive, or ride one of those muggle roller coasters. "Where could we find one, professor?" Surely there had to be one somewhere in Hogwarts...
"Endurance is nobler than strength and has more patience than beauty."
OOC: Sorry about not posting for so long... redface
How did we get here? Well I think I know...
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:21 am
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//My Office//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//Damien and Marina CURRENTLY FEELING//Concerned CURRENTLY THINKING//'What could be done... hm...' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata tapped her chin thoughtfully. She wasn't quite sure... perhaps the headmistress would know?"In the days when Dumbledore was headmaster, he kept on in the Headmaster's office. It could, theoretically, still be there. Or, perhaps the Div-"Amata stopped, wincing a bit. Regret had been the Divinations professor. It seemed logical that, perhaps the person who was known for looking into the future might also like to reflect on the past. But, she was not about to talk to the new professor. Not that she had anything against the woman, but... the wound was still a tad raw at times."I meant to say, the, er... History? Professor, erm... he might have such a thing. The past being his area of study and all..."She winced again. That had sounded so weak...
